02 July 2011

The cottage in question belongs to a husband and wife team of architects and they built their little slice of heaven for €30,000 ($42,000 US).

They were looking for a getaway and rather than build something far from the city, they built this cottage in a recreational park ten minutes from home.

At 150 square feet, they report that there's ample room for the couple and their two kids to relax and unwind. In their design, they took a page from the boat builder's handbook and built in space to hide everything when it's not in use.

The home sports a high-efficiency fireplace and tatami mats that heat automatically when the temperature drops below 40 degrees.

I love the idea of living in a small space, and a small space on the shores of the Baltic sounds like an ideal get away. It does to me at any rate. What do you think? Could you live in a small space?

16 comments:

I could if I had to or if it was a vacation home where we'd be spending most of our time outside, but not for every day living. Shhh don't tell, but sometimes my family gets on my nerves, and I need a little alone time. Tough to do in 150sqft when it's hailing outside.

Heck for that matter, downsizing from my 240sqft kitchen would be tough.

I live in a really small home but again, I live alone. I like living in a home that makes me think before I make a purchase. Anything I buy has to have a place and the usual bargain I strike is that I have to get rid of something old to accommodate something new.

The only thing that gives me trouble is books. I'm a heavy reader and I hang onto the books I read. I see them as trophies of a sort. I've been here for more than ten years and my living and bedrooms look like a poorly organized used book store.

I'd like to think that I could easily live there. As a second home it would be much easier than if it were my primary residence.I've been really wanting to buy a second home to get away for the weekends. This gives me the inspiration that it doesn't have to be big or expensive.

As we've just added on a couple of rooms, my answer would be NO! But a well-planned small space is going to be easier to 'live small' in, of course. In a holiday house you don't need room for lots of groceries and meals tend to be simple (or eaten out). Ditto for clothes and toys.

Re your books (and we have the same problem at our house): I remember seeing a home profiled in a magazine and wondering why it didn't feel right. On the final page I understood. The only books in the house were eight airport novels, neatly stacked on the two steps of a low library stool. I felt sorry for the library stool.

Living in 150 square feet is not for the faint of heart! That being said, a well planned and organized home could be any size you want as long as you know what you are getting into. This is their idea of the perfect getaway cottage. It doesn't have to be everyone's.